About

With a rotating line up of talented vendors, Crafty Wonderland is the place to go to find the best handmade goods in the NW, as well as affordable work from talented visual artists. It’s an event meant to bring together crafty people with those who appreciate cool handmade items, to support artists, and to spread the joy of craft throughout our community. The show even offers a kids’ area where budding young artists can set up and sell their work! Each Crafty Wonderland features a free DIY area where local artists share their talent and teach visitors how to make a craft of their own to take home. Past DIY table projects have included snow globes, 1” buttons, shadow puppets, seed art portraits and cupcake decorating, to name a few.

The History

Crafty Wonderland began in April of 2006 as a monthly art + craft sale at Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, OR. The event quickly gained popularity with both shoppers and vendors, receiving both local and national media attention during its 3.5 year run as a monthly event. In the fall of 2009, organizers Torie Nguyen and Cathy Zwicker made the tough decision to transition the monthly shows to two large shows a year. The change came about partly because of the tremendous time commitment of running a monthly show, but also because the craft scene has evolved and can now support 200+ vendors in one venue.

Torie and Cathy first met as members of Portland Super Crafty, a women’s craft collective. They sold their handmade goods together at many local craft events and would often talk about combining their experience to organize the perfect Portland fair – regularly scheduled, indoors and juried to include the best local artists and designers in town. They are amazed and humbled by the growth that Crafty Wonderland has seen over the past 4+ years…it has far exceeded their wildest expectations.